


the bright lights are fading away, it's not such a beautiful day

by Costello_Music



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, Fever, Gen, Sick Character, Sickfic, Whumptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-22 17:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Costello_Music/pseuds/Costello_Music
Summary: It was a disgustingly beautiful day.  The sun was too bright, the birds were too loud, and Caleb was really regretting getting out of his bedroll that morning. He thought he would be fine, it should have passed long ago. But he was never that lucky.Caleb falls ill while on the road and Beau, Jester, and Nott are the best bros.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've fallen hard into the Critical Role fandom. This is set in some nebulous time around episode 33/34, which I was watching while writing this. There should be no spoilers. I can not commit to a full Whumptober, so this is my offering. 
> 
> Title from Stumblin' by Powderfinger, because I can not stop myself using song lyrics as titles.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there was a faintly floral scent in the air. The Mighty Nein had nowhere pressing to be, and nothing pressing to do. It was all in all a lovely morning for every member of the group, except for Caleb.

He had been fine the night before, he had had no trouble setting up the hut for everyone and Caduceus was a far better cook than anyone else in the group, providing a surprisingly delicious dinner. 

The others were already up when Caleb sluggishly came to that morning. The first thing he noticed was that he was still incredibly tired despite the full nights rest and that his head hurt. It was clearly going to be one of those days so he thought nothing more of it as Nott prodded his side.

“Caleb, hey Caleb. Are you awake?” she said. Shifting a little Caleb groaned and responded.

“Ja, ja I’m awake,” he said as he turned to face her. His voice was a little rougher than normal, but he had just woken up so neither of them thought anything of it. 

“Great. Caddy has breakfast ready and once you’re done we’re good to go,” she said grinning down at him.

Sitting up he could see Beau and Jester sitting by Caduceus, who was prodding something on the small cook fire. The smell tomatoes and something else he couldn’t identify sizzling in the pan wafted over to him with the realisation that he wasn’t that hungry. Frowning slightly he started rolling up his bedroll and putting his things together, ignoring the gentle thudding in his head.

“Caaayleb! Good morning!” Jester called to him, her mouth full, as he put his pack in the cart.

“Guten Morgen,” he grunted back at her.

Jester giggled at him, holding up a plate to him as he join her by the fire.

“Here Cayleb we saved some breakfast for you. You slept really late,” she said pushing the plate at him.

The smell was almost overpowering as he took the plate from her. His stomach turned faintly and he realised he was _really_ not hungry. His frown deepened as he poked at the bread and various vegetables that Caduceus had uncannily gathered the day before. They didn’t have anywhere pressing to be but there was still a good day’s travel before they made it to the next town. He’d travelled on an empty stomach enough times to not want to do it again so he nibbled at whatever seemed the least offensive to him, as the others finished packing up their nights campsite. While he slowly made his way through his breakfast Nott came back and sat next to him as Caduceus started putting out the fire. He could only make a small dent in it before he couldn’t eat anymore.

“Do you want this Nott? I am not so hungry this morning,” he offered. Nott’s hand twitched as her face fell slightly.

“Are you ok Caleb? You seem little off this morning,” she said, concern bleeding through her voice. Caleb gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Ja, I’m ok Nott. Just a bit of a headache but I’ll be fine,” he replied, pushing the plate at her.

“Are you sure. You didn’t eat much. If you’re not feeling well we don’t have to leave yet,” she said in a rush.

“Nein, we don’t have to do that. I’ll be ok. Don’t worry Nott. It’s not that bad. I’ll eat more later,” he hastily tried to reassure her. She looked slightly sceptical but accepted it by wolfing down what remained of Caleb’s meal.

“I’m sorry Mr Caleb. I just put out the fire. But if you want I can relight it and make you some tea that will help,” Caduceus interjected quietly. Caleb flushed, regretting that he even opened his mouth in the first place.

“That’s really not necessary, I’m fine. It’s not that bad really. I’ll be fine in an hour or so,” Caleb replied, preparing to make a hasty retreat from this conversation. Caduceus didn’t say anything else as he eyed the wizard up and down, noting the slightly too pale skin and slight rasp in his voice.

“Alright then,” he replied.

xxx

It was a disgustingly beautiful day. The sun was too bright, the birds were too loud, and Caleb was really regretting getting out of his bedroll that morning. What had started as a bit of a headache and faint nausea was morphing as the day dragged on into a blinding headache, a dry sore throat, and a faint general achiness. The sun was bright but it wasn’t warm, the wind was cold, and no matter what he did Caleb could not get warm. Which was a direct contrast to his head which felt like it was on fire. He had never been more grateful for the cart. He didn’t even want to imagine how miserable having to walk, or even ride, would be.

Nott was sitting in the front of the cart with Caduceus while Jester and Fjord were riding the horses. That only left Beau in the cart with him. He was doing his best to ignore both her and his headache by attempting to read, with only the occasional jolt of the cart distracting him. The morning was dragging by agonisingly slowly. Despite his best hopes his headache had not abated at all and focusing on his books was getting hard. The dry ache in his throat was periodically irritating him.

“What’s up with you?” Beau broke the silence after a few hours of travelling. He looked up to find her staring at him intently.

“Nothing. I’m fine. Why,” his answered her, his voice was rougher then he wanted it to be. Beau lifted an eyebrow at that.

“Ok,” she replied. “Do you want some water or something? You clearing your throat is starting to get real annoying.”

“Ah,” he replied. He couldn’t deny that one. “I’m good. I have a water skin here thanks Beau.”

“Well maybe you should drink it or something,” she replied. 

He grunted in response before pointedly taking a drink and returning to silence. He returned to his reading for a few more minutes before giving up on being productive. Putting his book away with a small shiver he snapped his fingers and called Frumpkin to him. Frumpkin mewled at him as he jumped up onto his lap, kneading at him before curling up. Focusing on patting Frumpkin he briefly allowed himself to feel terrible. His head was pounding, the thought of talking was unbearable, he was shaking slightly and he was weirdly cold.

He probably had a fever. Nothing too bad he thought, but it was the easiest explanation for the brand of bad he felt. It was enough to make him feel terrible, but not enough for him to ask either of his friends for healing. It wasn’t bad enough to ask them to use up a spell slot they might desperately need later on. Not on him. Not for this.

The cart seemed to be jolting more than usual now, sending pulses of pain through his head.

“You know, you can just take a nap or something,” Beau spoke up again, after restraining herself for an impressive five minutes and 25 seconds. Caleb blinked and looked over at her, absentmindedly continue to pat Frumpkin.

“Huh?”

“I don’t know man. You kind of look like shit and it’s bumming me out,” she continued, floundering out of her depth.

Caleb didn’t look her in the eye. “I’m ok Beauregard, your concern is touching though. This isn’t anything I can’t handle,” he replied, his voice still rough. Beau’s eye twitched.

“Whatever dude. Just trying to be nice,” she replied gruffly.

Caleb hands traced over his books as he contemplated studying them again. His hands were shaking, along with the rest of him, which did not help his head at all. A pillow landing on his lap on top of Frumpkin (who jumped off his lap to glare at Beau) startled him out of his thoughts. Beau was rummaging around their packs and pulling out a couple of bedrolls. She didn’t say anything as she threw them at him too with a glare. Also without saying a word, and with a badly suppressed shiver, Caleb unrolled the bedroll Beau had thrown at him. Whatever faults he had pride was not one of them and a blanket would do wonders to stop the cold wind biting him. His friends already thought he was squishy anyway, and if they didn’t mind the cold then that was on them.

Getting as comfortable as he could in the now padded corner of the cart Caleb dosed for a while, initially aware of the time passing and never falling fully asleep. Frumpkin quickly stopped glaring at Beau and came up to curl by his side. Caleb could have sworn he didn’t actually fall asleep but one moment he knew it was around 1 o’clock, and the next Frumpkin had moved up to cuddle into his arms and it was definitely much later in the afternoon. He did not feel much better, his head still pounding and his throat much worse. Between Frumpkin in his arms and the blanket on top of him he felt that he should be much warmer, but he still felt vaguely chilled. His head was hot and it was clear his fever had not broken. The cart felt like it was still moving underneath him and he could sense that there were more people in the back of the cart then before. It felt like Nott was sitting at his feet, the small goblin girl was easy for him to recognise. And his other companions were not usually the most quiet or subtle.

“Ohhh, that’s so cute,” Jester squealed in what she thought was a quiet voice. She must have just jumped onto the back of the cart, delighted by the scene of the sleeping wizard cuddling his cat before her. “Frumpkin you are such a good cat.”

Caleb was immediately grateful that Frumpkin paid Jester no attention and so didn’t encourage her, not moving while curled up in his arms. He didn’t feel like opening his eyes yet, hoping that Jester and whoever else was back here would leave him alone.

“Isn’t Frumpkin cute Nott?” she whispered loudly. Nott grunted in response but was much more respectfully quiet.

Jester shuffled next to him, putting her hand on his forehead. Usually Jester ran warmer than he did, as Tieflings often did. But her hand was neither warm nor cool to him, which confirmed the fever he thought he had.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Beau was not wrong he is warm. Well not warm to me but usually you’re all cooler and he’s not cool to me right now so he must be warm. Poor Cayleb! He mustn’t be feeling well,” she rambled as she retracted her hand.

“I thought something was wrong this morning but he said he was ok. He’s usually right so I thought he’d be ok,” Nott replied sadly. Caleb frowned at that.

“Caleb, are you awake? Cause if you are and you’re not feeling any better I’m going to try to heal you ok?” Jester said in her lilting voice, shaking his shoulder gently. Caleb opened his eyes to acknowledge her.

“Ja, I’m awake,” he croaked out, his voice evidently had deteriorated in the few hours since his conversation with Beau.

“Ooh Caleb, you don’t sound so good,” Jester cried as he sat up. “You don’t look so good either.” 

Caleb frowned, wanting to deny it but it was getting harder to do so. Sitting up he looked around the cart, Nott was indeed sitting at his feet, with Caduceus sitting on the other side quietly observing. Beau had left the back of the cart and only Fjord was at the front of the cart. Jester was kneeling next to him, her Traveller symbol ready in her hand.

“Ja, but I’ll be ok Jester,” he replied as an attempt at a protest. Frumpkin shot him a look and jumped onto his lap. Jester frowned at his response.

“Don’t be silly Caleb,” she said as she started to concentrate on her healing spell. “I’m going try to heal you now ok.” It was not a question as her hands started glowing their customary green. The wave of healing magic that went through him felt good for half a second, but did nothing to help. 

“How do you feel now Caleb?” she glanced over him, frowning a little as she took in his still pale face and the slight tremors going through his shoulders and hands. He didn’t get a chance to reassure her. “Oh, that didn’t work did it?”

“Nein,” he agreed, rubbing his head.

“Is there anything we can help you with Mr Caleb?” Caduceus spoke up. “Healing may not work but I’m sure I have some herbs here that might,” he started rummaging through his bag. “You have a fever, headache. Is there anything else?” he asked with his low calming voice, shooting him a pointed look.

“My throats a little sore,” Caleb admitted hoarsely. Caduceus hummed in response.

“Ok. I have something that can help with that,” he said as he got off the cart. Looking down Caleb finally noticed that the cart was still and there was the remanets of a meal around a small cook fire that Caduceus was heading towards.

Nott climbed up next to him and didn’t say anything as she settled beside him. Caleb looked back down at Frumpkin and zoned out for a moment.

“Here, drink this. It might not taste too nice but it will definitely help,” Caduceus came back up to the cart, holding out a mug. Next to him Nott rubbed his shoulder to get his attention. With a sigh Caleb took it and started to drink it. It wasn’t the most awful taste in the world, but it also wasn’t the most pleasant. It was warm and soothing at least, and he had nothing to lose by drinking it. Caduceus smiled at him as he started drinking and went back to clean up the fire. 

“Are you alright to continue Caleb?” Nott asked, obviously concerned.

“Ja, ja. You didn’t need to stop on my behalf,” he replied.

“Ok. Well we should be too far from the next town anyway. So you can go back to sleep if you really want,” she said. Taking the mug back from him as he finished it. Caleb nodded and curled back up under the blanket with Frumpkin, whatever medicinal herbs Caduceus had put in starting to take effect. 

xxx

He had never been more grateful to see a tavern in his life. The rest of the afternoon had passed in a haze of half dosing and an acute awareness of everything that hurt. The sun was just setting as they passed through the gates of the small town. Nott had remained next to him for the rest of the afternoon with Jester, who was trying to be comforting by dramatically reading Tusk Love out loud. She was quiet enough that he could tune her out in intervals.

He didn’t pay much attention as Beau and Fjord asked a couple of passer-by’s where the nearest and/or best inns were. The town was small enough that it only took a few minutes to get to the place that had been pointed out. Once the cart came to a stop Caleb opened his eyes and sat up. Nott gave him a toothy, reassuring smile.

“We’re here Caleb,” she said, pointing to the inn to the left of them.

Caduceus was at the edge of the cart and was offering a hand to help Caleb off the cart.

“You really need to eat something Mr Caleb. I’m sure you’d rather continue sleeping but you’ll be better for it I promise,” Caduceus said as he put a gentle hand on Caleb’s shoulder, to lead him into the tavern like he was seeing through Frumpkin’s eyes. Caduceus frowned at the irregular trembling he could feel off the uncomfortably warm shoulder beneath him.

“Ja, ok,” Caleb mumbled, allowing himself to be lead inside.

He was hoping that the interior of the building would offer a warm relief but while it was a bit warmer inside it wasn’t the wave of warmth he’d been hoping for. Caduceus steered him towards a table by the fire as Beau and Nott headed over to the bar.

“I’m sorry you’re feeling sick Caleb and I’m sorry we couldn’t heal you,” Jester said as she slid onto the bench on his other side. “But I’m sure you’ll feel real better real soon.” Caleb nodded, not wanting to speak anymore then he had to.

Caleb allowed the chatter of the rest of the Nein to wash over him as they joined them at the table. Nott periodically tried to get him to eat some stew once their meal arrived, with less and less success. His shivers were getting stronger despite his proximity to the fire. His head was still aching, his thoughts were getting hazier, and his entire body was starting to ache and throb. He hadn’t been feeling well all day, but sitting in the tavern he started to feel worse by the minute. He lost the thread of conversation as he stared at the pattern on the table. His eyes feverishly following the swirls and stains in the wood. Fatigue was crashing down on him and although he’d spent most of the day napping in the cart the need to lie down again was slowly becoming more and more overwhelming. He couldn’t pin point the exact moment it happened but he eventually realised that he felt beyond awful and that his temperature had probably risen.

Next to him Jester shifted and for the second time that day he felt her hand on his forehead. It was cool against the fire in his head and something about that seemed wrong to him. She hissed at the heat she found under her hand, not use to her companions being warmer than her. 

“Cayleb, are you ok? You feel really warm now,” she said quietly. The chatter around the table faded. Caleb continued tracing the patterns with his eyes, but gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

“Caleb?” Nott asked hesitantly from his other side.

He turned to look at her, his vision tunneling around her.

“I. I think I just need to lie down. I don’t feel so good,” Caleb muttered.

“Oh. Well we have a few rooms for tonight. We can take you upstairs that’s no problem,” Jester said as she slipped off the bench. She helped steady him as he stumbled to his feet with Nott beside him. He didn’t hear Caduceus mutter something about finding some hot water for tea or Fjord and Beau awkwardly telling him to feel better. He could barely focus on Jester leading him to the stairs and up to the second floor.

The rooms were small but comfortable. There were two beds with a nightstand between them. On one side was a small chair and a dressing table, and a chest of drawers next to the door. Someone had already bought their stuff off the cart and into the room. Caleb ignored all of this as he collapsed onto the nearest bed. Nott prodded him to sit up to help him take off his coat and shoes. The shoes he didn’t resist but gave a stronger shiver when she tried to pry the coat off him.

“Caleb, you’ll be more comfortable without all this on,” she said tugging gently on his coat again.

“_Es ist kalt_, cold Nott,” he mumbled half in Zemnian.

“There’s another blanket here if you want it Cayleb,” Jester said as she went to the other bed and started stripping it. Too tired to fight her anymore Caleb allowed Nott to remove his coat and book holster.

“I’ll put these right here, ok Caleb” she said as she put the books on the nightstand next to the bed, making sure they were in his line of sight. Jester threw the spare blanket on top of him and Frumpkin jumped up next to him again. He meowed at him before curling up at his side.

Caduceus quietly entered the room at some point, holding a steaming mug of tea.

“Hello Mr Caleb, can you drink this for me before going to sleep?” he asked gently.

Jester and Caduceus had left him and Nott to their own devices not long after Caleb managed to choke down half of the mug of tea. Nott had settled onto the other bed to keep an eye on him, and Caleb fell asleep within seconds of lying down again.

xxx

The night was dark and quiet. Caleb jolted awake, unsure of how long he’d been asleep. Glancing around the room he could see that Nott still had the lamp on, which was confusing since it had to be early in the morning.

“_Was. Wie spät ist es_,” he mumbled, looking around the room. Nott was by his side in a moment.

“Caleb? Are you ok?” she asked, putting a hand to his forehead. He blinked at her. “You’re still really warm,” she added, obviously concerned.

“_Wie_,” he cleared his throat and switched back to Common. “How long have I been asleep?” he asked, voice rough and broken. It felt like an eternity since he’d fallen asleep, but the fever was messing with his impeccable perception of time.

“It’s only been a couple of hours at most Caleb,” she said gently. “Are you feeling any better?”

He blinked back at her. That didn’t seem right.

When he didn’t respond she grabbed the glass of water Caduceus had left on the bedside table and wordlessly offered it to him. He blinked at her once more and took a drink.

“I don’t feel so good Nott,” he answered at last, still shivering slightly. She hummed indistinctly at that as he closed his eyes and huddled back down in the bed.

Nott turned the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. Caleb relaxed marginally with the increased darkness easing his headache. Nott climbed up onto the bed and sat next to Caleb leaning against the headboard on the side Frumpkin was not. Caleb muttered something indistinct in Zemnian as she settled next to him.

“It’s alright Caleb, go back to sleep,” she said, patting his head slowly. Under her hand Caleb relaxed marginally again, the coolness of her small hand providing some relief. Once again Caleb fell asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Caleb attempts to rest the members of the Mighty Nein look after him and show that they care, each in their own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I didn't expect to write this at all. Certainly not so soon too. So a huge, huge thank-you to everyone who commented!!! I'm so glad you all liked it and wanted more! I wouldn't have written this if not for you guys! Apparently I had quite a bit more in me, so I hope this lives up to your expectations. 
> 
> And thank-you to everyone who kudos' too! It's greatly appreciated and I'm glad you guys liked it.

As far as Caleb was concerned the rest of the night passed uneventfully.

Nott stayed awake for as long as she could, especially after Caleb had bolted awake disorientated not too long after falling asleep. She was grateful that he'd settled back easily. It had been concerning watching him deteriorate throughout the day, as whatever was wrong with him had struck quickly. He'd seemed ok, if a bit quiet and pale when she woke him up that morning. It wasn't enough to alarm her, until he had basically refused to eat breakfast. But she trusted him to know if anything was truly wrong, he was so smart and like she'd told Jester he wasn't often wrong. And for the morning it seemed like he was right, for the most part. She'd kept an eye on him from the front of the cart, and he was reading his books like nothing was wrong. She couldn't see his face so she'd missed the faint look of pain between his eyes. But she hadn't missed him slowly start to constantly clear his throat, like it was bothering him. Nor did she miss the faint hoarseness that persisted in his voice throughout the morning. 

It has shocked her when he took Beau's suggestion to take a nap with only the bare minimum of resistance. That was that moment she figured something was actually wrong. Caleb was stubborn, and if he could keep going he would. He was smart enough to tell her if he was struggling, but he rarely let it stop him. Beau had seemed surprised too, the look on her face clearly suggesting that she had expected more of a fight.

Nott had joined Beau in the back of the cart not long after Caleb had fallen asleep. She trusted Beau, like all of the Nein, but that was _her_ boy and something was definitely not right. Especially once the hours had slipped by and he hadn't so much as stirred, barely reacting when Frumpkin moved from his side and burrowed into his arms.

It was probably because of her position at the end of his cart by his feet that she hadn't noticed the growing heat coming off him, his shivering faint enough at first that she didn't detect it over the rocking of the cart. It had taken Beau giving him a not to subtle check from the other side of the cart to notice the growing blush on his face and growing shivers. Most of all she knew better then all of them what was a worrying temperature for a human. At first she deemed it as just something to be aware of, the day was nice and warm after all and he was under a blanket. But as the afternoon progressed it got worse, and Beau got visibly worried. It was clearly time to call in the Clerics.

Caduceus must have known that the healing spell wouldn't work, since he'd been the one to suggest that they stop so he could make some tea. It was a strange and somber meal while they waited for the water to boil, Caleb still hadn't stirred and no one wanted to be the one to wake him. He slept through Caduceus' examination, so it was a relief to Nott when he reacted to Jester prodding him. Relief that instantly faded when her spell didn't work, and he still seemed very out of it while Caduceus was making his tea. He was also asleep again before they started moving, and Caduceus swore that he hadn't put anything to help him sleep in the tea, focusing more on pain relief and fever reducing properties.

The rest of the afternoon passed with Nott keeping vigil over Caleb while Jester read aloud to them. The silence that had settled over the group as they started moving again getting to her first. It didn't seem to bother Caleb and Nott was glad for the distraction. But she was still very relieved to see the walls of the town in front of them as the sun started to set.

Caleb was as white as a sheet and trembling slightly, all in all looking dreadful as he sat up as the cart came to a stop. Nott grinned at him to reassure him, which his faintly responded too. Jester seemed a little frightened beside her at seeing how listless her friend was. She was clearly trying to compensate as she bubbly tried to reassure herself and Caleb as they took their seat in the tavern. Caleb had been listless all day, and sleeping for most of it. Nott had hoped that maybe a bit of food would revive him, that a good night’s sleep and a nice meal would be all he needed. And while he didn't attack his dinner like he hadn't eaten all day (which he hadn't, she might add) he did at least initially put in a decent effort. But he had barely put a dent in it before running out of steam, his face slowly draining of colour he didn't have, his eyes glassy and feverishly tracking something. He barely noticed when she leaned across to Jester to ask her if he felt warmer than before, nor the minor chaos that erupted when he muttered about really not feeling well. Between herself and Jester (mostly Jester) they managed to get him upstairs and into bed without much incidence.

Once Caleb was settled Jester and Caduceus went back downstairs, leaving Nott to look after Caleb with the instructions to get either of them, no matter the time of night, if he got worse. To pass the time Nott started counting her buttons, keeping an eye on Caleb as she did. His sleep was restless, and he muttered incoherently in a mix of Zemnian and Common. She came close to calling for Caduceus when the startled awake barely a couple of hours after falling asleep. But he calmed down quickly enough and after she plunged the room into darkness, relaxed back to sleep.

Hours later he was still really warm.

Nott hadn't meant to fall asleep. Her boy needed her and she was going to be there for him. It had been a long time since she had had to watch over someone like this, and the half dose of a practiced caretaker no longer came easily to her. The room was dark with only the light of the false dawn coming through the window. For a brief moment she wasn’t sure what woke her up, the heat coming off the figure next to her and his restless movements took a second to register in her mind.

Caleb didn’t seem to be awake, and he definitely still had a fever, that much was clear. He was restless and muttering something in Zemnian.

“Caleb?” Nott whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder then his forehead.

Caleb leaned into her touch, but did not wake. Nott sighed.

“It’s ok Caleb, I’m here,” she whispered to him as she shifted to a better position to wait for the dawn.

xxx

Everything hurt.

Caleb hadn’t opened his eyes yet but everything hurt, and already he wanted to go back to sleep.

Beside him he felt Frumpkin curled up next to him. On his other side Nott was still beside him, rubbing at his shoulder in a comforting manner. From behind his eyelids he could tell that it was a least morning, or at least he hoped it was and not just the light coming from Nott’s torch again. He still couldn’t tell precisely what time it was, but this time he had surely slept through the night.

The need to reestablish the time was greater than the desire to go back to sleep, so Caleb opened his eyes. Wincing at the brightness, it appeared to be around 7 o’clock. He groaned and buried his head in the pillow to block out the light.

“Caleb,” Nott said hesitantly, her hand stilling on his shoulder.

“Ja,” he responded, his voice nothing more than a hoarse croak.

“You awake? You feeling any better?” she asked in a rush.

Caleb paused for a moment, taking an internal stock of how he felt. The light was bright and his headache was still very present. His throat was dry and ached, and there was not much of him that didn’t hurt. Every muscle he was aware of, and some his wasn’t, ached and throbbed. His scars too burned and ached and he all in all he felt miserable.

“Caleb?” Nott prompted. Caleb looked up at her, his eyes glassy.

“Nein. Not really,” he replied. Talking hurt.

Beside him Notts stomach rumbled. She look down, then back at him. 

“Do you want to come downstairs for breakfast? Or I can bring something up if you want. Are you hungry? You didn’t eat much yesterday,” Nott asked in rapid succession. Caleb blanched slightly.

“I’m ok for now Nott, come get me when we’re ready to go,” Caleb replied, burrowing down slightly. At his side Frumpkin shoots a glare at Nott, which she ignores. Still focused on Caleb she frowns slightly at his response. 

“I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere today Caleb. Not if you’re not feeling well,” she replies, trying to be reassuring. Caleb frowned, with his glassy eyes he just looks miserable.

“I can ask the others if you want, but I’m sure they’ll agree,” she said getting up. “I’ll bring you something back ok.”

Getting off the bed she pauses for a moment to make sure Caleb wasn’t following her, or wanted anything else, and leaves the room.

xxx

Caleb was lightly dosing when the door quietly clicked open half an hour later. He kept his eyes closed, not ready to fully wake up and face another day of travelling or exploring just yet. He assumed it was just Nott who had returned, figuring that anyone else in the group (though mainly Beau or Jester) would have announced themselves loudly already. 

“Hey Mr Caleb, Nott said you still aren’t feeling so good there,” Caduceus’ calm voice washed over him.

With a small groan Caleb turned and faced the door, opening his eyes to see Caduceus crouch down by the bed beside him. He had another mug of tea in his hand and was not dressed in his usual travelling attire.

“Nein,” he agreed, stealing himself before sitting up. A faint wave of dizziness washed over him, which Caduceus must have noticed because he placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“Ok, well, are you feeling any better than last night?” he asked, and Caleb shook his head slowly. “Any worse? Ok. Yeah. Well based on your symptoms last night and the lack of improvement this morning, I think you have the flu. So you’re probably in for a rough couple of days I’m afraid,” he said, his low voice soothing and quiet.

“Ja, that makes sense,” Caleb agreed hoarsely, after a brief internal audit.

“Well, this should help a bit,” Caduceus smiled, offering the mug to Caleb who accepted it. “I’ll try another healing spell just in case, but they generally don’t work on illnesses I’m afraid.”

His hands started glowing and Caleb could feel the spell wash over him. Like Jester’s yesterday he felt good for a brief moment before the effects of his illness came crashing over him again. Next to him Caduceus hummed disapprovingly.

“Well in any case, the tea will definitely help. There’s something for the pain and the fever in it,” he said. Behind him the door opened again and Nott slipped in, holding a plate.

“I bought you something to eat Caleb,” she said as she approached. Caleb nodded in acknowledgment, but made no attempt to take it. Nott has shown some restraint with her selection, with only a couple of slices of bacon and a handful of scrambled eggs on the plate. But it still looked like more than Caleb could stomach right now.

“Are you still not hungry Mr Caleb?” Caduceus asked once Caleb had managed to drink half the mug, noticing that he had ignored the plate of food. Caleb shook his head in response, with a soft “nein.” Caduceus smiled gently at him.

“That’s ok, but like I told you last night you’ll feel better if you eat something. It doesn’t have to be much,” he said encouragingly. Caleb frowned again, but took the plate.

Caduceus gave his shoulder a gentle pat as Nott climbed up beside Caleb again. 

“Are we getting ready to go?” Caleb asked, putting the mostly uneaten plate down after slowly choking down what he could for ten minutes. Nott and Caduceus shared a look before Nott responded.

“It’s ok Caleb, we don’t need to leave today. You can stay in bed if you want. Right Mr Clay,” Nott said in a rush. Caduceus nodded.

“That’s right. Plus I’m sure that you don’t really want to go anywhere right now, you must be feeling pretty rough” Caduceus agreed.

Caleb frowned. Surely they had somewhere to be, didn’t they have a deadline. Caduceus was right though, he felt weak and shaky and the prospect of a day’s travel was unbearable to him right now. But he had pushed through worse before, and he could do it again. 

“But. Don’t we? Aren’t we going,” he trailed off. What little strength he had when waking up was rapidly draining away and he sank back down onto the pillows. 

“It’s ok Caleb, we aren’t going anywhere. Don’t worry,” Nott said, with a reassuring toothy smile.

Caleb nodded. He trusted Nott, and if she didn’t think they needed to be anywhere then he was just glad that he didn’t have to move. Caduceus went over to the curtains and pulled them closed. The room instantly dimmed and Caleb relaxed fractionally.

“Is there anything else you need Mr Caleb?” Caduceus asked, as he stood up.

“Nein, nein,” he muttered in response, sinking further down under the covers again.

“Alright then. Get some rest,” Caduceus said as he picked up the plate. Caleb closed his eyes and didn’t see Caduceus leave the room.

xxx

He was next startled out of sleep by the sound of the door slamming open. Frumpkin was still curled up next to him, but Nott was no longer beside him. He blinked a couple of times. No, hadn’t Nott gone down to breakfast? 

“Hey Caleb, how’s it going?” Beau loudly asked as she strolled into the room. Seeing Caleb jolt awake she added, “Oh, shit. I didn’t wake you did I?”

Caleb blinked at her again, and croaked out an unconvincing, “nein, nein.”

“Uh huh, sure. So you feeling any better?” she asked, standing by the edge of the bed. 

Caleb frowned. Now that he was awake he could tell that only an hour had passed, and while whatever Caduceus had given him had taken the edge off, he still felt terrible. He was right about him not being up to much for today. 

“Nein. Not really,” he replied. Beau crossed her arms and looked over him for a moment. 

“Yeah, that sucks,” she said awkwardly.

There was a long pause as neither of them said anything, just awkwardly staring at each other. 

“Was, what are you doing here?” Caleb asked, breaking the silence. Only half the words came out. He still felt weak and shaky and Beau clearly wasn’t going to get to the point anytime soon by the look of it.

“Ok dude, you actually have to stop talking. That sounds painful,” Beau said, still not getting to the point.

Caleb cleared his throat, which achieved nothing beside causing it to sting more and triggered a small coughing fit. Beau frowned and passed him a glass of water someone had left on the bedside table. 

“Ja,” Caleb nodded once it subsided.

“Yeah, ok. Well I was wondering if there was anything you wanted from the town. I don’t know if its large enough for a book store but we’ll check it out for you,” she said, shifting from one side to the other with her arms crossed.

Caleb nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

“Was that for the bookstore,” she asked, and he nodded. “Cool. So is there anything else you want?” she paused, waiting for an answer and not receiving one besides a small shake of his head. “Right, told you not to talk,” she muttered.

“Thanks Beau, I’m ok though,” Caleb replied, his voice still no more than a hoarse whisper.

“Right, cool. Well I’ll leave you to it then,” she said, before turning around and slamming the door close.

xxx

After the rude awakening Beau gave him, Caleb found it hard to go back to sleep. The curtains blocked out most of the light but as the day went on the small amount of sunlight coming through became unbearable. It was hard to get comfortable. Throwing an arm over his eyes worked for a short while before the effort of holding his arm up caused it to ache. Keeping a pillow over his head was nice and dark (and initially cool) but made it a little hard to breathe, and sleeping without the pillow caused him to cough more and more often. He desperately wished it was nighttime. The room being dark would be nice, but being in bed in the semi-bright room while feeling awful was almost too much. He knew he’d feel better if only it was night. 

He was aware of the minutes dragging by slowly. Contradictorily it felt like hours had passed while he knew it had only been minutes. He tossed and turned uncomfortably; each time disturbing Frumpkin, who had long sensed something was off with his master and good naturedly curled up next to him with each movement.

After a while of uncomfortably shifting around, Frumpkin gave a meow and jumped onto his chest. Coming up to his face Frumpkin gave an investigative sniff before gently rubbing his head into Caleb’s.

“Hey buddy,” Caleb croaked, cracking open his eyes slightly to look at his Familiar. Frumpkin meowed in response, gently headbutting him again.

“_Mir geht es gut._ I’ll be ok,” he muttered, starting to pat him. “_Ich liebe dich_.”

Frumpkin started to purr.

Focusing on Frumpkin, and lazily still patting him, Caleb slipped into a light dose.

xxx

The next interruption was a lot gentler. He was still lightly dosing, Frumpkin back in his arms, when the door opened. The footsteps were on the heavier side, and Caleb turned to face whoever was entering.

Fjord was doing his best to sneak in, but straightened up when he noticed that Caleb was awake. Behind him was Nott.

“Hey, sorry for interrupting you. Caduceus said you’d still be unwell and that this might help,” Fjord said, awkwardly offering the mug in his hand. As Caleb took it from him he added, “I’m sure you’re getting sick of this but it’s probably better than the alternative.”

Caleb nodded and sat up. “Ja, it does help a little bit,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

“Well that’s good,” Fjord smiled at him. Nott came up from behind him.

“Are you feeling any better,” she asked. Caleb gave her a small reassuring smile.

“Maybe a little bit. The tea does help a little,” he replied, not sounding any better than before.

“Ok, well I’ll leave you to it then. Feel better Caleb,” Fjord said, patting him on the shoulder before turning and exiting the room.

Nott came up to the space Fjord had previously occupied, clasping at one of his hands.

“Do you want me to stay? I can stay with you if you’d like,” she said, getting a good look at his face as she did. Caleb was very pale and still had the deep fever flush and glassy eyes. But the trembling had stopped and he was a bit more alert then he had been that morning. 

“Nein, I’ll be ok Nott. You don’t have to stay,” Caleb replied. 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” Nott pressed. She hadn’t liked the idea of leaving that morning, but Caduceus had been the one to drag her away, pointing out that Caleb had probably wanted to be alone. She couldn’t help but worry as they had explored the small town they had initially planned to just pass through. There was not much here, and it had been a stretch to make their investigation last the morning. But she was definitely grateful that they had made it here and that Caleb hadn’t fallen ill a day or two earlier, when they’d been in the middle of nowhere. There was every possibility that Caleb would be out of action for a few days yet, and even if this town didn’t hold much else at least there was a bed and somewhere relatively safe for him to recover in. 

“I’m just going to sleep Nott. Don’t worry about it,” Caleb said. “You can stay if you like, but I don’t mind.”

“Ok Caleb,” she said, not saying anything else as she climbed back on the bed and returned to her position on the opposite side Frumpkin occupied.

xxx

By late afternoon the effects of the tea had worn off, and Caleb was longing for it to be dark and night again. His head was throbbing and his throat was beyond distractingly painful. His chest was starting to ache as the coughing was becoming more frequent. He was still weak and shivery and was starting to become vaguely cold again. Frumpkin’s purring was no longer comforting, so the cat was providing warmth and silent comfort at his side. Nott had stayed with him until the fact that she’d skipped lunch caught up with her and she went back downstairs to get something to eat. She had yet to return.

He was half dosing when the door burst open again, with one arm over his eyes to block out the light. 

“Hey Cayleb. I bet you’re really bored cause I’d be really bored so I’m here to cheer you up.” Jester announced as she all but skipped into the room. “Are you feeling any better?” she added, looking him over as she came to a rest by the bedside table.

Caleb didn’t mean to ignore her, but the throbbing in his head was definitely worse then before and his throat was sore enough that it took all his concentration contemplating what he could say that wouldn’t aggravate it.

“Caaayleb?” Jester drawled, shaking his shoulder. Though most of his face was hidden Jester could still make out the deep frown on Caleb’s face that formed as she did so.

“Jester, please don’t,” he groaned, not moving the arm off his face.

“Oh, sorry Cayleb. I couldn’t tell if you were awake,” she said, not even attempting to lower her voice. Caleb winced, but still didn’t move.

Unfazed Jester continued. “There wasn’t much in this town, but I do have more books I got from the Chastity’s Nook the last time I visited that I don’t think I’ve shown you yet. Would you like to read them? Or I can read them to you if you were sleeping I can do that,” she said cheerfully, rummaging through her haversack as she did. 

“Jester, my head really hurts, and I feel terrible. Can you please,” Caleb croaked out before his voice gave out. Jester looked up from her bag, taking a better look at him as she did. All the colour had drained from his face, except for the deep feverish flush. His eyes were clenched tightly shut and he was in obvious pain. It reminded her of how he’d looked the night before when his temperature had spiked. 

“Oh Caleb I’m so sorry! Nott said you were feeling kind of better,” Jester half whispered horrified. She placed a hand on his forehead. “Oh no, you feel really, really warm again. Do you want me to go get Nott? Or Mr Clay? Do you want me to heal you does that help?”

“Nein, I. Can you please be quiet?” he asked quietly. He could hear Jester rummage for something on the bedside table, and she didn’t say anything while she searched for whatever she was looking for. He kept the arm over his eyes, hoping desperately that she hadn’t opened the curtains in the meantime.

“Oh, is the light bothering you too?” she asked from beside him, looking around hesitantly biting her lower lip. “I’m sorry Caleb, but I don’t think I can make it darker in here. But I might have something that can help,” she added, and stood up. “Don’t worry Caleb, I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t move while he waited for her to come back. He didn’t hear the door close as she left and he didn’t want to know how bright it was in the room now. The noise from the tavern below faintly echoed through the room. He tried to tune it out, but he felt weak and shaky and despite already lying down he felt unsteady and wasn’t successful. 

Jester announced her return not five minutes later by gently closing the door this time and quietly putting something on the bedside table next to him.

“Ok Caleb, you can keep your eyes closed but I’m going to need you to move your arm now,” she said gently. It wasn’t often that she switched to Cleric mode, especially since Caduceus had joined their group. But she was very competent when she did, so Caleb lowered his arm. Once he did a cold wet cloth was placed over his eyes and forehead, and the relief it provided was instant.

“_Danke _Jester,” he muttered.

“That’s ok Caleb,” she said softly, running a hand through his hair. Which was not the most tangled she had seen it. “I also told Caduceus that you’re not doing so good again. So I’m sure he’ll have some yummy, yummy tea for you really soon that will make you feel much better. And Nott will be back shortly.”

Caleb made an indistinct murmur in response to this.

“And I can read to you when you’re feeling better ok,” she added before lapsing into a peaceful silence.

xxx

It was finally dark, and Caleb felt better for it.

His memories were a little fuzzy after Jester had unceremoniously burst in while his fever had been spiking, but the cold cloth had felt amazing and whatever Caduceus had prepared for him worked far better this time around. Life was certainly a lot better with his temperature closer to normal. Not that he felt close to 100% yet, but at least for now he felt a lot better.

Nott had once again resumed her vigil by his side, and he got the impression that she wasn’t going to leave him alone again until he was almost completely better. She had been horrified when returning to the inn after helping Caduceus to find him far worse off then when she’d left. He could see her guilt through the fever, and he wished he could take it back.

She was currently braiding his hair. Each time she ran out of room on his head she would gently undo her work and start again. He had no idea how long she had been doing it, since it was one of the first thing’s he’d noticed when coming out of his last ferverish dose.

“You should go back to sleep Caleb,” she said softly, as she finished unravelling the fresh braids.

“Mmm, I’ve had a lot of that Nott,” Caleb replied, with no more voice then he had earlier in the day but at least this time it didn’t hurt as much.

Nott made a small noise of disapproval, but kept gently playing with his hair, starting a new set of braids. “Well, nevertheless, I’m sure you’ll feel ever better with even _more _sleep,” she countered. Caleb gave her a sleepy smile and closed his eyes to humour her.

Beside him, still faithfully curled up by his master, Frumpkin began to purr. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again the Zemnian is from google translate.  
Mir geht es gut - I'm ok  
Ich liebe dich - I love you
> 
> Sidenote, I love how Liam roleplays Caleb's relationship with Frumpkin. It's so sweet and it makes me miss my cat.
> 
> This one is done now, but I am always open to prompts if anyoone feels so inclined.

**Author's Note:**

> The Zemnian was taken from google translate. I apologise for any inaccuracies that may have arisen from that mighty service. 
> 
> If anyone would like me to continue, or use any other prompt, please let me know. Prompts are always appreciated.


End file.
